Restaurant News: Slam Dunk!

August 18, 2026 Randi Rom

Urbano, a new restaurant serving traditional Tex-Mex fare, recently opened in Baltimore Peninsula. (Provided photo)

Anyone up for a snack from Shaq?

Shaquille O’Neal, the former basketball great and hall-of-famer, media personality, entrepreneur and occasional rapper, has arrived in Maryland.

A native of Newark, New Jersey, O’Neal, 54, recently opened the area’s first stand alone Big Chicken franchise, his fast-casual restaurant chain. The local Big Chicken will be located at 1407 South Main Chapel Way at The Villages at Waugh Chapel, in Anne Arundel County’s Gambrills community. (A Big Chicken concession can also be found at the CFG Bank Arena in downtown Baltimore.)

Founded in October of 2018 in Las Vegas, Big Chicken combines O’Neal’s childhood comfort food favorites with modern flavors. The menu features crispy chicken sandwiches, chicken tenders, hand-breaded sides, and Cheez-It-crusted macaroni and cheese.

Also featured are hand-crafted milkshakes, including such flavors as cookies & cream, salted caramel, double-doulbe chocolate and peanut butter cup. (For information, visit bigchicken.com.)

Feeling Lucky?

Nan Xiang Soup Dumplings is slated to open at The Mall in Columbia (although no official opening date has yet been announced).

The New York-based restaurant chain has been Michelin-recommended for nine years in a row. They’re known for their xiao long bao, which means “little steamer basket buns” in Mandarin.

Menu offerings include soup dumplings in chicken, pork, crab, truffle or scallop. You can also a “Lucky Six” basket with one of each.

FYI, Michelin-recommended is not the same as receiving a Michelin Star rating for exceptional cuisine. It means that Michelin inspectors found the restaurant to be of good quality and worthy of being included in the guide.

Still a significant achievement for the New York-based Nan Xian. (For information, visit nanxiangxiaolongbao.com/.)

On the Waterfront

A new Tex-Mex restaurant, Urbano recently opened in Baltimore Peninsula’s Rye Street Market, located at 2425 Rye Street.

Menu options include tacos, ceviche, burritos, enchiladas, fajitas, churros and sopapillas, which are fried tortillas with powdered sugar, honey and vanilla ice cream.

While you’re there, enjoy a margarita at the waterfront bar. (For information, visit urbano116.com/baltimore-peninsula.)

Meanwhile, Sip & Sizz, a new locally owned, fast-casual dining spot, recently opened in Canton, offering unique,
hold-in-one-hand, stackable food and drink meals.

Signature bowls include the “Harbor Special,” grilled shrimp with veggies and Old Bay Seasoning, and the “Surf & Sizz Bowl,” flame-grilled chicken and shrimp.

The restaurant also serves slushies, classic smash burgers, and the “Croissant Doner” burger. FYI, doner is a popular Turkish dish made from seasoned chicken stacked on a large vertical spit, slow-roasted and shaved off in thin slices. (For information, visit sipsizz.com.)

Little Italy-based Angeli’s Pizzeria will open a new, 1,500-square-foot restaurant in Ellicott City. It will be located in the Forest Green Shopping Center, in the spot formerly occupied by the River House Pizza Co., at 10039 Baltimore National Pike.

(FYI, River House recently moved to Old Ellicott City’s historic Main Street district where Tersiguel’s French Country Restaurant was previously located for a half-century.)

In addition to lots of pizza options, Angeli’s menu features calzones, meatball subs, salads and sandwiches.

Other Angeli’s locations include Federal Hill, the Inner Harbor, Bolton Hill/Mount Vernon and the Towson/Govans area. (For information, visit angelispizzeria.com.)

James Beard Award-winning Baltimore chef and restaurateur Spike Gjerde recently opened Cafe Terracotta, a Mediterranean-inspired breakfast-and-lunch spot at the Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, at the East Baltimore hospital’s recently renovated entrance at 1729 E. Monument Street.

All-day menu items include grain bowls, wraps, pastries, flat breads, salads, meats, fish and produce, all of which is sustainably sourced.

Cafe Terracotta is part of Gjerde’s Ecco Project, a multi-concept local restaurant and regional food initiative. Ecco’s aim is to get more produce, meat, fish and shellfish directly from nearby regenerative farms and food producers onto diners’ plates and more dollars into farmers’ pockets. (For information, visit terracottabaltimore.com.)

Randi Rom is president of RJ Rom & Associates. She is a freelance columnist and writer who represents some of the region’s top restaurants and food-related events. Contact her at randirom@comcast.net.